The invisible enemy should not exist unfolds as an intricate narrative about the artifacts stolen from the National Museum of Iraq, Baghdad, in the aftermath of the US invasion of April 2003; the current status of their whereabouts; and the series of events surrounding the invasion, the plundering and related protagonists. The centerpiece of the project is an ongoing series of sculptures that represent an attempt to reconstruct the looted archeological artifacts.

The title of the exhibition takes its name from the direct translation of Aj-ibur-shapu, the ancient Babylonian processional way that ran through the Ishtar Gate. Drawings tell the story of how the gate was excavated in Iraq in 1902-14 by German archeologist Robert Koldewey and then put on permanent exhibition at the Pergamon Museum, Berlin. In the 1950s, the Iraqi government rebuilt the gate; close by stands a reconstruction of the ancient city of Babylon, created by Saddam Hussein as a monument to his own sovereignty. Today the reconstructed Ishtar Gate is the site most frequently photographed and posted on the Internet by US servicemen stationed in Iraq.

Alluding to the implied invisibility of the museum artifacts—initial reports about their looting were inflated due to the “fog of war,” stated Museum officials—the reconstructions are made from the packaging of Middle Eastern foodstuffs and local Arabic newspapers, moments of cultural visibility found in cities across the United States. The objects were created together with a team of assistants using the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute database, as well as information posted on Interpol’s website. This exhibition represents the incipient stage of an ongoing commitment to recuperate the over 7,000 objects that remain missing.

Invisible enemy drawings

Invisible enemy gallery

Beside each object lies a museum label with factual details about the lost object. Serving as a display structure for the recreated artifacts is a long continuous table, whose shape derives from the measurements and layout of the Processional Way.

The museum label for each reconstructed artifact lists its museum number, provenance, and other identifying facts. Replacing the narrative information about each lost object are quotes from Iraqi archeologists, American military commanders, and others reacting to the looting, resulting in a fragmented dialogue across the display table.

Shortly after his arrival in the US, Dr. George visited The invisible enemy should not exist at Lombard-Freid Projects. Here he is giving an impromptu tour of the artifacts, as he could no longer do in his former museum in Baghdad.

Subsequent iterations of The invisible enemy should not exist have been presented with new groupings of artifacts as more and more are reconstructed. Wherever possible, the artifacts are arranged by a local archeologist, researcher, or curator of Mesopotamian antiquities. Here is Dr. Michael Seymour, Researcher in the Department of the Middle East at The British Museum arranging the artifacts exhibited at Modern Art Oxford in April, 2009.

The invisible enemy should not exist, installed at the Sharjah Art Museum as part of Sharjah Biennial 8, where the project received a Jury’s Award.

The invisible enemy should not exist, installed at the Sharjah Art Museum as part of Sharjah Biennial 8, where the project received a Jury’s Award.

Other drawings reveal the narrative of Dr. Donny George, former Director of the National Museum in Baghdad, who worked to recover looted artifacts. Under Hussein, Dr. George worked at archeological sites to avoid Ba’ath Party meetings and also sidelined as a drummer in the band 99%, which specialized in Deep Purple covers. A version of their “Smoke on the Water,” commissioned from NY-based Arabic band Ayyoub, provides sound for the show. After threats to his family, Dr. George resigned his post, fleeing to Syria. He arrived recently in the US as a Visiting Professor of Anthropology at SUNY Stony Brook.